LEGO Shelby Cobra Easter egg has unparalleled accuracy

The other Easter egg in LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C is more accurate than you might realise, staying as true to the car as possible.

Following the reveal of 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C earlier this week, we've had plenty of time to pore over the official imagery ahead of the July 1 release date and found a thoughtful Easter egg to Shelby history concerning the bill tile on the LEGO dashboard.

LEGO designer Léon Pijnenburg has since confirmed that our predictions are accurate, and this is indeed a reference to the Shelby legend, whether factual or not. It's far from the only Easter egg in the set, though, and another is just as thoughtful.

"Rumour has it that Shelby would tape a $100 bill to the dashboard and invite his passengers to try and grab it before the car hit 60mph,” says Léon. “They could keep it if they got it, but because of the power and acceleration of the car, people would be thrown back in their seats. Allegedly, Shelby never lost.”

Another pair of Easter eggs confirmed by the designer are some that you might not have spotted, including a stickered signature from Carroll Shelby, referencing the frequency at which he would sign cars for fans.

“We have also included a trophy to signify the many race victories this car had, and you’ll find Shelby’s signature on the dashboard, as he famously signed many of his cars," continued Léon.

This signature sticker goes even deeper thanks to some time-accurate detailing. According to one Mustang fan and their knowledge of the founder, this sticker is something special.

"While I was in Vegas, I visited the Shelby shop and learned that the line under his name can give you an idea how old the signature is or if it’s even fake," shared AWesPeach on the Mustang Reddit. "The slash mark on the underline can give you an idea of when it was signed. The no-slash or one-slash are the oldest ones. He had one slash first to mark his heart transplant.

"The signatures with two slashes are after his kidney transplant. There are versions with three slashes that I think are the electronic ones that wouldn't be signed by him, but they’re official decals you can buy."

This anecdotal information would mean that the signature in 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C – with no slash – is from before the founder's heart transplant in 1990. The Shelby Cobra 427 was made between 1965 and 1967, meaning it's entirely likely that this is the actual signature Carroll would have added to the real car.

It demonstrates that the design team have done their research into how best to portray the car and brand in 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, instead of using the more modern signatures that are available with donations online.

10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C will be available from July 1 (for LEGO Insiders, or July 4 for everyone else) at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores for £139.99 / $159.99 / €149.99.

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